"Naive and easily manipulated" and "easily controllable" describes conspiracy theorists more accurately than it describes regular people. There's a reason why most cults are built around some sort of conspiracy lore.
Regular people can only be "controlled' within fairly normal constraints of human behavior, because the news to them is just one more source of information so they ain't going to blindly follow something they hear on the news if it conflicts with their own values that they've set for their lives. Whereas conspiracy theorists believe such wild theories that some of them are willing to throw it all away for an idea (see the Capitol Insurrection just a year ago).
I gotcha broski. I'm Just saying to not take anything at face value. Research stuff yaself and come up with ya own conclusion.
When they tell us that "9 out of 10 scientists agree that.....",. go and check out why the 1 scientist DIDNT agree. Hell, you may agree with the loner.
Folks would still be thinking Columbus discovered America or the mainstream narrative about 9/11 if they didn't do their own research. I'd rather be a "thinker" than just a sheep, even if I'm wrong honestly. That's why I said both extremes can be bad.
The tv is one of their greatest tools of psychological warfare.